Only when it comes to Beckett I don’t want to do the smart thing. He makes me want to take a risk.

I just hope he decides to take a risk on me too.

“Oh please. Like you didn’t know that song was about you.”

My heart plummets. And even though I know I shouldn’t, I bridge the gap between us and thread her fingers through mine. “I didn’t know it was about me, Star. I swear.”

Her hands are soft to the touch and I relish the feeling of them. Star peers up at me through her thick lashes. “You can’t tell me that you don’t feel something when we’re together, Beckett.”

“Star.” I swallow hard and rest my forehead against hers.

“Why can’t you just admit it?”

“Because it won’t change anything,” I tell her honestly, pulling back and releasing my hold on her.

AUTHOR BIO

Amber Garza is the author of Young Adult paranormal and contemporary romance. She has had a passion for writing since she was a little girl, making books out of notebook paper and staples. Amber lives in California with her amazing husband and two hilarious children who provide her with enough material to keep her writing for years.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Waking up fur covered and fanged isn't the easiest thing for a
girl to deal with. Unfortunately, for Roxanne Delaney, that is her new reality.
The only upside is finding herself the bondmate to one hot and sexy werewolf,
Nathan Hayes. The downside; learning to adapt to a primal element that craves
the rending of flesh and the oh-so-sweet taste of blood. Will this shy
waitress-turned-wolf rise to the challenges of this new life—one that is now
littered with otherworldly creatures hell-bent on destroying her and the people
she cares for? Or will the pressures of a new-found love and difficult battles
prove too much for Roxanne to handle?

I threw the pillow off to the side and jumped out of bed. The small nap that Nathan had forced me to take had done wonders and I was feeling good as new; that was if you didn’t count the headache quickly forming from Paige’s warm-up music. I walked past the handsome hunk of mine and opened the bedroom door wide. I exited the room without explanation. Nathan didn’t complain, just poked his head around the jam, watching my retreat. I stopped in front of the entryway of the room right next door to ours and began to pound my fist hard against it. When my knock received no answer, I brought my fist up and pounded again. This time, the door flew open, revealing an irate she-wolf. Her body was covered in sweat, a large round stain forming from the neck of her wife beater and expanding out and down in between a pair of firmly rounded breasts. She brought her arm up, her hands adorned with boxing gloves, and wiped the sweat from her hairline.

“What the fuck is it?” Paige spat, the rims of her eyes opening wide when she recognized which wolf was at her door. She looked at me with such rage in her eyes that I thought I would spontaneously combust into flames where I stood. I had to stop myself from going pale faced. I willed that from happening with all my might. I wasn’t going to allow this Alpha wolf to have domination over me. I was way too pissed off for that.

“Show the rest of the house some common courtesy by turning that god-awful music of yours down,” I growled.

Paige jerked her chin up and crossed her arms. “And if I don’t?”

Well hell. That was a good question. What could I do if she decided to slam the door right in my face?

“The music is extremely loud, Paige. How about giving us all a break?” Nathan said from behind me.

I hadn’t heard him walk up. I whipped around shoving my finger at him. I was acting like a crazy person. I knew that. However, for some reason I didn’t give two shits about it.

“I have this handled.” I said with a low growl.

“Hi, Nathan.” Paige purred over me. “I will turn the volume down right away.” She pinned him with a smoldering look, a look that made my fingers tingle in want of ripping those green peepers out of their damn sockets.

“But, only because you asked so nicely,” she added before slamming the door in my face.

Author
Bio:

Gena D. Lutz lives in the
blistering heat of Arizona with her husband and four kids and two very high
maintenance dogs, a Chihuahua and Australian Shepard. When she is not busy
writing, Lutz can be found watching the classics, like Charmed and Buffy the
Vampire Slayer, marathon style. Lutz enjoys reading, riding horses, playing
poker and looks forward to the day she can travel the world.

I am so
excited that you all could celebrate my new covers with me!! Curse of the Beast
and Star Cursed are Young Adult novels and a retelling of Beauty and the Beast
with a werewolf twist. They are my first books published and had different
models on each cover. I really wanted these novels to match as a set and really
shine. So I hired the amazing cover artist, Design by Katt (aka Kathey Amaral) to redo them. https://www.facebook.com/DesignByKatt?fref=ts

She was
fantastic to work with and was patient with my endless nit-picking. LOL. I am
sure she thought I was OCD.But enough
about us, let’s see those marvelous covers shall we? Drum-roll please…..

Curse of the Beast

Seventeen-year-old Tayla Jonas longs for a simple life,
but an ancient curse forces a werewolf to hunt her, to claim what is his. Will
Tayla be strong enough to survive the Curse of the Beast? Or will it consume
her like so many before? Find out in the first installment of this unique
retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Tangled in a web of wills, Tayla must risk everything to
break the Curse of the Beast. With failure and possible death looming overhead,
Tayla will do anything to find true love. But will one moon cycle be long
enough to conquer her wolf and remain human? Or will she become a permanent member
of Beast’s pack? Find out in the second installment in the Curse of the Beast
series.

A
nomad at heart, Ashley currently claim Nevada as her home. She has a wonderful
husband and two young children that put up with her “writing time.” When she’s
not pondering a spell that will magically calm the ferocious winds that plague
the air around her, you can find her, with notepad in hand, frantically jotting
down ideas in those short moments between caring for her girls and working full
time at the Elko Institute for Academic Achievement.

Art
and science have always been her yin and yang. Throughout her college career,
she shifted between the two, but in the end graduated with a Bachelors of
Mathematics and Science from the University of Wyoming.

Charging into adventures and discovering something new has always been a
passion of hers, but as a teenager she used to run screaming from a reading or
writing assignment. Looking back, the irony isn’t lost on her. Now you can’t
catch her without a book in hand or an open word document. Every time a new
idea pops into her mind her heart races and her hand twitches to write it. In
that moment, she has her writer's high and prays it will sustain her through
thousands of hours of revision.

Friday, June 28, 2013

The stick turned blue and Tessa Bradley’s world fell apart. But unplanned
turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to her. Add a marriage of
convenience to her best friend and unplanned just might give her the
happily every after with the man she’s always loved.
*Deployment…*

Gunny Cameron White devoted his life to God, country and the Corp. Marriage
has never been a blip on his radar. When his best friend—a woman he’s
always loved—turns up pregnant and alone, he throws out the rule book and
commits to her like a Marine.

*Marriage…*

Can two people overcome the choices of their past when an unplanned baby
gives them the chance of an unexpected forever?

Pregnant? Tessa Bradley’s hand slid across her abdomen, was there really
a little person growing inside her? Her doctor’s voice droned on, but she
couldn’t hear him. She was twelve weeks pregnant without a father for her
baby, and after today’s shift—an unemployed mother-to-be.

It can’t be…I was so careful.

She hit the end button on her cell phone, and slipped it back into her
pocket. During the last nine weeks, she’d worked as the secretary for a law
firm in town, while their permanent one was on maternity leave—talk about
irony.

How was she supposed to be a mom when she didn’t even know how to take care
of herself?

“Tessa, there you are.” Mr. Jacob smiled as he stepped into the office. “I
wanted to give this to you before you left. It’s just a token of my
appreciation for stepping into Bev’s shoes while she was on leave. I
thought this might turn into a permanent position when I hired you, but Bev
obviously has other plans. She wants to come back. If things change, you’ll
be my first call.” He offered her a plain white envelope.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.” She accepted it with a small, honest smile.
Mr. Jacob was a wonderful boss and a good lawyer. He truly cared about his
clients and did everything he could to fight for them both inside and out
of the courtroom.

“Very well, it’s Friday and we have no more clients booked for today. Why
don’t you take off and enjoy your weekend?”

She grasped at the generous offer, especially after the doctor’s call. She
needed to get out; maybe a walk in the park would help her clear her
thoughts. Maybe then, she would have a better idea what to do about her
situation. In a daze, she moved around the office and gathered her things.

“Thank you again for the job Mr. Jacob.” She called to him from the door as
she slipped her purse over her shoulder, and let herself out for the last
time.

The air felt cool against her flushed skin, and the wind tugged her long
brown hair, but she didn’t care. Heading into the park, she made her way
past the children’s playground.

One day I’ll be one of those frantic mothers watching from the bench praying my child doesn’t get injured.

The countdown to ‘one day’ ticked faster than she’d ever imagined.

“Tess?” He looped his arm around hers, startling her out of her reverie and
pulling her to a stop. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

Cameron White stood before her in his breath-stealing,
damn-isn’t-he-good-looking crisp blue Marine uniform. The medals on his
chest made her proud—and served as the steel fence between the future she’d
wanted and the life he’d chosen fifteen years ago. He was a fine specimen
of manhood—over six feet, muscular from his military training and hours in
the gym, and shoulders wide enough to carry the world.

Over the years, she’d nursed a long-standing fascination and attraction for
Cameron, one he refused to acknowledge after he joined the Marines. She
tried to supplant the desire, redirect it to someone else, but even Brian
didn’t measure up to the yardstick she judged all men by. They weren’t
Cameron.

Young Marines spoke of him with respect, edged with fear. She knew he was
strict, and expected only the best from his men, but he was also fair.
Whenever someone needed a helping hand he was there, helping, guiding, but
he expected his men to learn from their mistakes—to pay for their mistakes
with pushups, loss of leave, whatever it took to drill the message home. He
pushed his men to the breaking point, making them the finest Marines he
could and he wouldn’t stand for them to give less than one hundred and ten
percent.

“Why are you in your dress blues?”

“I just left John’s wedding, they pushed it up so they could be married
before he ships out. It was a nice ceremony by the lake.”

She heard him but it was as if his words came through a haze, distant and
she couldn’t focus. Her legs felt heavy, and her head swam.

“What’s wrong Tessa? Are you feeling okay?” He cupped a hand under her arm
and guided her over to a bench.

“I’m fine…I just need to go home.” God help her it was good to see him. He
was like a port for a ship lost at sea but she needed to wrap her mind
around what she was going to do—and how could she tell him? She didn’t
think she could bear his disappointment.

“Come on, I’ll take you home.” Arm around her waist, he pivoted neatly and
guided her toward the street.

“I’m fine. My apartment isn’t that far, I can walk. I’m sure you have other
things you need to do before you have to go.” Even to her, the words
sounded flat and they wouldn’t convince him, but it was all she had left.

“You’re all that matters today. I was coming over once you got off work.”

Even if he didn’t believe her, he didn’t force the subject. Maybe all the
years they had known each other had enlightened him to the fact that if he
pushed she’d only shut down more. What am I going to tell him? She tried
to think of something, anything as he led her towards his car. They only
had a few days left together before his upcoming deployment. She didn’t
want to ruin the time she had left with him by bringing up her mistakes.

Just the thought of another deployment was enough to send her into panic
mode. Yes, he was career military and that was part of his job, but it
scared the hell out of her every, single time. In truth, he married the
Marines from the day he enlisted. He wouldn’t be there for their weekly
movie date, or nightly chats. Selfish? Yes, but he was such a large part of
her life, she didn’t know how to give it up—even for only a short
time—without her heart breaking.

If she were honest with herself, she’d admit she was in love with him, and
had been since they were sixteen. Fifteen years later nothing had changed,
at least not for her. For Cameron, he’d chosen the Marines, and that
loyalty was absolute. He left no part of himself free for a girlfriend, let
alone a wife. No matter how much she’d always wished otherwise, Tessa had
accepted they would never be anything more than friends. Cameron wouldn’t
allow anything more. He said something else, but she didn’t really
understand it, the world around her tilted and she swayed. Blackness
swamped her vision and everything faded.

My Review:

Unexpected Forever made me cry. I'll admit it; I teared up quite a few times
actually.

Being a Military brat and spouse at one point, I could totally
relate to the feelings Tessa was experiencing (minus the pregnancy while
deployed part). The emotions and thoughts were hit dead on and the story was
written beautifully.

Marissa has yet again written an amazing story full
of emotions and detail. I totally recommend reading Unexpected Forever and other
great works by Marissa.

About Marissa:

Born and raised in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, Marissa Dobson now resides about an hour from Washington, D.C. She's a lady who likes to keep busy, and is always busy doing something. With two different college degrees, she believes you are never done learning.
Being the first daughter to an avid reader, this gave her the advantage of learning to read at a young age. Since learning to read she has always had her nose in a book. It wasn't until she was a teenager that she started writing down the stories she came up with.
Marissa is blessed with a wonderful supportive husband, Thomas. He's her other half and allows her to stay home and pursue her writing. He puts up with all her quirks and listens to her brainstorm in the middle of the night.
Her writing buddies Max (a cocker spaniel) and Dawne (a beagle mix) are always around to listen to her bounce ideas off them. They might not be able to answer, but they are helpful in their own ways.
She love to hear from readers, send her an email at marissa@marissadobson.com or visit her online at http://www.marissadobson.com.

How awesome is this??? All of the books are on sale of .99 for a limited time. You know you want to snap them all up while you can :)

***Kindle Best Seller in Contemporary Fantasy***

Magic flows through Jillian Proctor's veins as surely as blood, but so far her life outside Boston has been peaceful. William Morgan blows into Jilly's life like a hurricane, unleashing her magic and sending her out of control. Unknowingly, William brings an enemy who only wants to posses the power of the witch. Jilly must learn to harness her magic before she loses it - and everything in her life is destroyed.

After the events of Mark of the Witch, Jilly at last begins to breathe easier though her powers are still growing. But can she harness them in time to confront a new chain of events that threatens to change everything?

Caroline has finally accepted her life as a witch, but when a stranger comes into her life she's forced to question her family loyalty.

The sisters are thrown together to protect a young girl from the enemy determined to hunt her down. Can they save her -- and themselves?

Bronwyn Fitzgibbons was young and reckless. It was easy for Ronan to steal her human life and make her a vampire. She ran, but she never forgot him--or how he made her feel.

Rider saved Bronwyn from the new life she loathed and the new self she detested. His love restored her sanity.

Now Ronan is back to claim her. She struggles like hell against him, but she cannot deny the overwhelming power of her maker. Will Bronwyn surrender to the one who could possess her utterly? Or can she find the strength to choose the one who loves her as she is?

Bronwyn left everything behind when she left with Ronan. She became what he needed her to be and forgot the rest. Too bad the past won't stay in the past.

Rider bursts back into her life uninvited, and is not the man she remembers. There is an edge to him that was not there before. Bronwyn is torn by guilt over what he has become and anger at being blamed for it.

When Ronan ended his maker’s life, he inherited a line of vampires and a whole set of problems to go along with it. Bronwyn must decide if their love is worth it, worth the killing, and the constant disruption of their lives.

Is love enough? Can Bronwyn find herself again and strike a balance between who she wants to be and who Ronan needs her to be? Or will she lose herself all over again?

Her boyfriend’s been shipped out of town to some boarding school four states away. Her step-douche is constantly drunk and badgering her. And then there’s her good-ole-mom… The lady is nothing more than a miserable shell of a woman. She’s turned off all of her feelings and her ability to be a good mother as well, leaving poor Emmy and her four year old brother Jamie to suffer. Life couldn’t get much worse, right?

Enter the elusive, cocky, and oh-so-broody Jack Hartman…

The jerk cousin of her boyfriend becomes Emmy’s worst nightmare…times ten. He’s cruel. He’s insensitive. But he also has this strange little ability over her – he makes her weak in the knees with thea single touch. No matter how miserable or amazing Jack makes her feel, Emmy can’t seem to deny him, especially when he takes on the role of her protector –her pseudo-knight in a black leather coat.

A knight who also happens to ride in on his black Harley, instead of a white horse…

And to make a bad situation worse…

Werewolves and teens shouldn’t mix! But what can Emmy do when she finds herself thrown head first into the center of it all. Can she handle the supernatural mess her life rapidly becomes or will she fight against the inevitable fate her heart desires?

Excerpt:

“That smart mouth doesn’t sit well with me,” he licked his lips. His eyes never wavered from mine.

I nibbled on my lower lip, just as a small smile graced the edges of my mouth. Oh yeah, my bravado was about ready to kick some ass. I think I kind of liked being a smart ass.

“What are you going to do about it Jack?” I inhaled a breath, taking in his warm, delicious scent. My throat went even drier than before. I practically stared holes into his face as I studied every tiny mark, every single scar on his perfectly flawed skin. He was gorgeous, with a little scar here, a little white patch there. His hotness could have left me breathless for days if I kept up my perusal any longer.

And then I blinked, Christ. I knew exactly what had to be done. I had to kiss him. I had to get this itch scratched and then I had to move on. His eyes darkened, his breath was warm and heavy over my face, and he licked his lips. I blinked. Holy-balls… He wanted to kiss me too.

That ever-present electricity running between us wouldn’t stop. If anything, it only increased our pull. I moved in; his lips touching my lips was all I wanted. I needed to feel again, feel it all with a boy who hated me, but apparently wanted to kiss me as badly.

Dryness on dryness soon changed to warmth on warmth, and when I pressed my mouth fully to his, his hands left my neck, and went to my waist. His fingernails dug into my sides and the son of a bitch pushed me away from him.

So there I was, my head tilted to the side, ready, willing, and able to do whatever the hell this moment led us too, and all he could do was chuckle. Yes. Chuckle. He was the biggest rat bastard.

Ever.

Author Bio:

Heather Van Fleet currently resides in northern Illinois, with her three little ladies, Kelsey, Emma, and Isabella, and her fabulous hubby (and high school sweetheart) Chris, with whom she’s been blissfully married to now for ten years. She’s a stay at home mom by day, and an avid and completely obsessive writer and reader by night.

Heather always had a soft spot in her heart for books, and she’s been creating her own little stories since she was a seven year old. But she never really had the confidence or the time to actually sit down and really do something about it, until her youngest daughter was born just two years ago.

Resisting Fate, book one in her Predetermined series, is her young adult, paranormal baby! It’s packed full of wolves…witches…and one sassy little red-headed teenage girl! She had an absolute blast writing it, and can’t wait to share it with the world!

What do you do when the one person you thought you knew turns out to be the one you knew the least?

Twenty-three year old Marissa Chase, and soon to be college graduate, has everything going for her: wonderful friends, a lucrative degree, and a chance to explore the world. What made it even better - or so she thought - was when her path crossed with the alluring Alec Holden. Unable to stay away from him, Marissa experiences a love like no other, and falls into his world of passion and intrigue. However, things begin to shift when this path takes a deadly turn.

Her trust is put to the test when hidden dangers unfold before her, revealing secrets that have been buried for years. Secrets that were meant to stay hidden. Murder, lies, and betrayal … will Marissa figure it all out in time and escape with her life intact, or will she be too late and fall into the trap of deception?

L.P. Dover lives in the beautiful state of North Carolina with her husband and two wonderful daughters. She's an avid reader that loves her collection of books. Writing has always been her passion and she's delighted to share it with the world. L.P. Dover spent several years in college starting out with a major in Psychology and then switching to dental. She worked in the dental field for eight years and then decided to stay home with her two beautiful girls. She spent the beginning of her reading years indulging in suspense thrillers, but now she can't get away from the paranormal/fantasy books. Now that she has started on her passion and began writing, you will not see her go anywhere without a notebook, pen, and her secret energy builder….chocolate.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Hot sun, hot sand, cool drinks, dark tans. Ahhhh. But your summer won’t be complete until you land a new BOOK BOYFRIEND, right? Lucky for you, we’ve got you covered!

SUMMER BOOK CRUSHoffers 50+ titles in many genres. This means 50+ chances to (fictitiously) fall in love. And the best part?

Each of these gems is only 99¢, but for a limited time only.
The SUMMER BOOK CRUSHevent starts on June 26th and ends (yes, even the best things in life end at some point) on June 28th. So don't wait up! Mingle with our BOOK BOYFRIENDS and invite all your friends to participate too. There are plenty of BOOK BOYSto share!

Find your summer’s fling between the pages of a book. And don't stop on one - after all we have many BOOK BOYFRIENDSfor you to mingle with.

Fifty years ago the Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society. He created the Hole where sinners are branded according to their sins and might survive a few years. At best.

Now LUST wraps around my neck like blue fingers strangling me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit and now the Hole is my new home.

Darkness. Death. Violence. Pain.

Now every day is a fight for survival. But I won’t die. I won’t let them win.The Hole can’t keep me. The Hole can’t break me.I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter.My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story.

Join us from 10-6 PST for a day full of fun as we celebrate with Abi Ketner and Missy Kalickicki!!! We will have tons of games and prizes, so please come on over and join in the fun

About the authors:

Abi Ketner Is a registered nurse with a passion for novels, the beaches of St. John, and her Philadelphia Phillies. A talented singer, Abi loves to go running and spend lots of time with her family. She currently resides in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with her husband, triplet daughters and two very spoiled dogs.

Melissa Kalicicki received her bachelor’s degree from Millersville University in 2003. She married, had two boys and currently lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Aside from reading and writing, her interests include running and mixed martial arts. She also remains an avid Cleveland sports fan.

Abi and Missy met in the summer of 1999 at college orientation and have been best friends ever since. After college, they added jobs, husbands and kids to their lives, but they still found time for their friendship. Instead of hanging out on weekends, they went to dinner once a month and reviewed books. What started out as an enjoyable hobby has now become an incredible adventure.

When the universe conspired to bring Loti and Wolf together, it was just getting warmed up. After surviving Modore’s assassination attempt on Wolf, the lovers want nothing more than some peace and quiet, but the universe has other plans for them.

And Loti and Wolf are done waiting to find out what they are.

Convinced there will be no happily-ever-after for them until Modore is dealt with, they form a dubious alliance with untrustworthy forces from Wolf’s past. While searching for clues to the homicidal vampire’s whereabouts, they uncover secrets that begin to unravel reality as they know it. Tangled up in black ops conspiracies and fae treachery, they make a fatal mistake—overlooking the enemy in their midst.

Join us Wednesday June 26th from 6-8 EST for some fun games and prizes! Plus a chance to chat up Melissa Lummis.

Bio:

Melissa Lummis considers herself a truth seeker, a peaceful warrior, a paranormal and fantasy writer, an avid reader, a thru-hiker GA->ME '98, a wife, a mother, and a free thinker. She believes the universe conspires to help an adventurer. And if we live our lives as if it is a daring adventure (and it is!), then everything we need will find its way to us.

The author lives in rural Virginia with her husband, two children, an Alaskan Malamute and a myriad of forest creatures. The nature of her mind dictates that she write to stay sane. Otherwise, her fertile imagination takes off on tangents of its own accord, creating scenarios and worlds that confuse the space-time continuum. Namaste, dear friends.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

ALTERNATE CONNECTION is the third novel in the COUNTERMEASURE SERIES.
The next installment of the COUNTERMEASURE SERIES has a tentative release date set for November 5th, 2013. The story continues where TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE left off and pursues a parallel between Trevor and Cassandra Bauer’s quest and a daring attack on US nationals.

BLURB
CIA operative Nathan Nelson has built his life on secrets. Secrets about events that have shaped him into the man he has become. Events that taught him to keep his shields up. He has kept them buried in the past and nobody—not even Cassandra Bauer, the woman he claimed to love—knows of them. Now, those secrets have come barreling down on him at the worst of times.
Foreign Service Specialist Rachael Moore's personal crusade puts her in the crosshairs of very dangerous people. She would risk everything to achieve her goal even if it means exposing her battered heart and deeply concealed dreams to a man who doesn’t know the meaning of love.
Unbeknownst to both, their reconnection may not only bridge the chasm between the two of them, but shed light on a puzzling mystery. Their perilous journey becomes a race for their lives, leading them into a conspiracy rooted deeper than the tangled emotions between them.
Will their collaboration shatter the tenuous link woven in the past or forge a bond they never expected could exist in the future?

EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER 5
Nathan shook his head and pulled out the first folder containing the personal file of Gerald Blair, U.S. Envoy to the Middle East. The report was thorough and contained a detailed account of both his professional and personal life. He raised his eyes to Hanson. “Do you want to split’em?”
“Nope. I’m done with them. They are all yours.”
“When—?”
“While I waited for the fax. I’m a fast read, Nelson. Keep that in mind.” Hanson’s lips quirked in a cocky grin as he leaned his seat back and closed his eyes. His disheveled appearance and the hickeys decorating his neck a clear indication he needed some shut-eye. “Let me know when you’re done so we can discuss the details.”
Nathan sank in his own seat, his mind teeming with questions. Questions he didn’t think he would have answers to any time soon. He had a long analysis ahead of him considering he was also looking for pieces of a puzzle unknown to Hanson. Unlike Hanson’s, Nathan’s focus also encompassed the files belonging to the two agents and two drivers who’d been killed in the attack.
With that in mind, he returned his attention to the folder and began studying the first of the people they were supposed to know inside and out before they set off for ground zero. As he read through the pages, he looked for inconsistencies, hidden information, or activities that could have made Blair a target. Anything that could have put them all in the crosshairs of whoever had taken them.
The situation was more complex than the usual hostage kidnapping. While religious extremists were quick to claim responsibility, those who’d abducted the six remaining members of the diplomatic convoy two days earlier hadn’t made any demands through the media. They’d simply dropped off the radar as if they’d never been.
There had to be a reason for that divergence from the usual and that reason could very well be tied to Nathan’s prime directive. The answer could be in any of their past or present and, if he was to be successful, he had to find it.
He beat his way through Gerald Blair’s file and took notes as he moved through. Blair had been in extensive contact with Palestinians and Israelis—unavoidable contact since it was an integral part of his job to mediate peace in the region—and that in itself could have placed a target on his back.
Nathan set Blair’s file aside and moved on to the next in the bundle. As he flipped it open, his whole body stiffened in his seat. A buzzing noise flooded his ears, and his sight dimmed. His field of vision narrowed to the picture on the page and the name listed—Moore, Rachael. Status: Widow. Rae.
His blood iced in his veins. For a moment, he felt detached from reality expecting someone to pop up in the seat in front of him pointing a camera and screaming, “Gotcha!” He fixed his eyes on the file again. Phillip Moore’s wife. Was that why Hanson had made that comment about setting personal involvements aside? Nathan stared at her familiar image for a moment before diving in. Some of the information in it was known to him. Some was brand new. He read the declassified report on Phillip’s death with a heavy heart and the thumping in his chest rose to such a loud racket he thought it would wake Hanson from his beauty sleep.
The more he read about Rachael, the more his frown deepened. Why was she working at the embassy in Israel? How had she come to be assigned as a personal assistant to Blair?
Phillip had been crazy about her, and Nathan understood why as soon as he’d met her. At the time they met, she’d been working on a business associate degree with some difficulty due to the sudden transfer to the US. Neither had mentioned she dabbed in international politics back then. Had she made a career change after Phillip’s death? Guilt punched him in the gut and he held his breath, squeezing his eyes shut to keep self-flagellation at bay.
He’d gone through that cycle many times before. He wasn’t about to slide down that road again. If that was how he could redeem himself, he was going to take it.

ABOUT THE AUTHORSWriting had touched Chris Almeida’s and Cecilia Aubrey’s lives in different ways through the years but had never taken flight. It was in 2010, when Chris and Cecilia met and began role-playing online as a hobby, that writing placed itself front and center in their lives.
Chris and Cecilia have since chosen to release all their titles independently. They have several short stories and two novels published under their own label, Éire Publishing, and are vocal supporters of independent publishing done right. They are currently working on the third novel in their series. Through all the chaos and laughter, they still hold true to their roots, bringing their favorite role-play characters and stories to life.

You can enter the draw for one of 10 Countermeasure Series Swag Packs containing nine bookmarks and a bracelet (I <3 ALPHA GEEKS) and also enter the giveaway for a chance to win a digital ARC signed copy of ALTERNATE CONNECTION once it becomes available.
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Riley Masters learns this the hard way when she finds
a wallet and decides to do the right thing. But returning it will cost her much
more than she bargains for.

Abandoned by her mother, raised by an indifferent
father, Riley has accepted the fact that she would be alone always. She has no
idea that a single act of kindness would propel her into a world where
creatures that shouldn’t exist guard the human race from the demons that lurk
in the shadows. That it will cost her the lives of those she loves while
unearthing a destiny she never imagined with a man who is forbidden to love
her. She finds passion, romance and the family she’d been searching for her
entire life, but at what cost and what is she willing to sacrifice to find
answers and happiness?

Octavian Maxwell has always known his place. He is a
Caster, a Son of Judgment. His job is to protect the mortal world from the
creatures plotting to destroy it. Instead, his world is shattered when a human
girl walks into Final Judgment, a girl he has been searching for his entire
life, a girl he is forbidden to ever touch. Being with her will break the oath
he’s sworn to never love a mortal. But his heart has already found its mate and
it refuses to let go.

Final Judgment… a place undetected, a gateway to a
evil and a legend that will undo everything anyone has ever known about our
world.

Excerpt:

“I know.” The two words ghosted against the skin of her neck,
sending goose bumps down her spine. “But I want to touch you. I want to put my
hands all over you. I want to kiss every inch of you and taste you as you come
apart in my arms. I want to feel you wrapped around me with nothing but my name
on your lips and the sheets a tangled mess beneath us. I want…” He exhaled
heavily into her ear. “I want. I want. I want!”

It was purely the hard surface at her back that kept her from
sliding in a puddle at his feet. Her body thrummed. Her knees quivered. She was
so hot it was a wonder she hadn’t exploded.
“Do it, Octavian” She ghosted the tips of her fingers along the hem of his
shirt. “Touch me.”

He growled low in his throat, his forehead dropping another inch
toward her shoulder, his hair tickling the side of her face. “Be my angel,
Riley, not my siren. Don’t tempt me.”

Moistening her lips with a sweep of her tongue, Riley glided her
fingers over his belt, tracing the strip of leather to the silver buckle in the
center. She felt rather than heard his deep inhalation and the tremor that
raked his powerful body. Driven by his surrender, she used two fingers to walk
over the square carvings etched into his abdomen, biting her lip to stop the
grin that pulled when he groaned.

“I want to be both for you, Octavian,” she whispered, letting
her lips brush the curve of his shoulder.

Airicka Phoenix is the best-selling author of The Touch Saga, The Dare Trilogy and Games of Fire with short stories in Whispered Beginnings: A Clever Fiction Anthology and Midnight Surrender Anthology. When she's not hammering away at the keyboard, she can be found banishing pirates or crawling through the attic looking for lost treasure with her kids. She loves baking, gardening and reading. She also likes to travel and take pictures of everything she comes across. When asked, Airicka describes herself as a sarcastic basket case that has an unhealthy addiction to chocolate, old movies and really bad jokes. She loves to laugh, make friends and write. If she could have one wish granted, it would be to spend one day as a fly-on-the-wall inside Stephen King's mind. If she could have two wishes granted, she would ask for a castle dedicated entirely to her overwhelming collection of books.